The present invention relates to a range of at least two types of motor vehicle, of which a first vehicle type comprises a sheet metal roof and a second vehicle type comprises a glass roof.
A motor vehicle body shell structure traditionally comprises components that are assembled to one another. With reference to FIG. 1, this body shell structure generally comprises at least one front crossmember 3 of a roof 1 that extends transversely and holds a windshield and the roof 1, a rear crossmember 4 of a roof 1 that extends substantially parallel to the front crossmember 3 and in the rear zone of the roof 1, two longitudinal rails 2 of a roof 1 that connect a transverse end of the front crossmember 3 to the corresponding end of the rear crossmember 3, and a roof that rests at least on the front 3 and rear 4 crossmembers and on the rails 2.
Vehicle roofs 1 are generally joined to the body shell structure at multiple points on the periphery of the roof 1 and, in particular, at the level of the two rails 2. These rails 2 are formed by elements superposed in a substantially parallel manner, such as a sill reinforcement 7 secured to a body shell side 6 integral with the body shell structure of the vehicle, arranged, respectively, from the exterior of the vehicle toward the interior of the vehicle.
The roof 1 is generally mounted on the body shell structure in accordance with a particular configuration ensuring that the visible upper face of the roof is located in the extension of the visible upper face of the body shell side.
To achieve this, the prior art roofs 2 illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B have a peripheral part, the form of which is defined in order to ensure a link with the body shell structure, particularly with securing zones 9 located at the level of the body shell side by means of linking elements 8, with a view to allowing an arrangement of the roof in accordance with this configuration. However, the peripheral part of the roof is generally constructed in this way when the roof is made from a metal material, such as sheet metal.
In point of fact, in FIG. 2C, when the roof 1 is made from glass, the body shell structure then has to be modified, for example by means of the addition of an intermediate component 10, otherwise called an extension, which has to be positioned at the level of the rails 2 and, in particular, of the body shell side 6 in order to be able to link this roof with the body shell side 6 of the body shell structure by means of the linking element 8.
One of the major drawbacks of such body shell structures hence relates to the fact that it is systematically necessary to modify them in order that they can be adapted to the characteristics of the roofs on which they are to be mounted. Systematic adaptation of body shell structures to the characteristics of the roofs is restrictive and even detrimental, in particular within the context of the manufacture of different vehicle models based on one and the same body shell structure. Furthermore, in this context, such an adaptation makes the procedures for mounting roofs on body shell structures more complex and at the same time increases the cost of manufacture of these vehicles.